The Outdoor Classroom

Shaw Primary has fantastic grounds and we ensure that we make the most of them. They are not just for playtimes; learning is planned around the grounds and children can often be seen working with an adult or independently in different parts of the grounds. Shaw is developing the grounds for Outdoor Science work and many Science lessons take part outside.

We are developing our path around the grounds into a eco-science walk after Charles Darwin's famous path in his garden. Here children can enjoy finding out about different aspects of environmental science or just having an enjoyable walk. We have a seasonal Daffodil Maze, thousands of bulbs that come up in the spring, a wildflower garden, mounds and slopes to play on and to see things from a different height, a copse, a willow tunnel and much, much more.

Planting the willow tunnels

Family fun! Lining the pond.

Investigating the pond...

...really closely!

The Vegetable Garden

Our vegetable garden has won several awards including contributing to Shaw Primary winning the prestigious Environmental Youth Award for the South West. Each class has its own bed and sows and nurtures crops every year. They enjoy eating what they grow. A lot of learning can be derived from such activities and it is fun too! Here is a history of the garden from 2005...

A weedy plot

A new base

Seedling planted

Looking good!

Playtime!

Our grounds are really big - but are much more than a large expanse of grass.

Playtimes should be fun and the more interesting the play area, the better the children's behaviour. At Shaw Primary we have a path that runs round the grounds, a copse and a stone circle at the far end and many more exciting features that make up our Playzone. We have introduced a variety of things to extend children’s play experience and make playtimes delightful. You'll have to go a long way to find better grounds!